Names
by WhisperToMeSoftly
Summary: oneshot. EvexLeon, friendship or more. "Leon. A broken name. There was a hitch, a pause between syllables, that tore the name in two. Lee-on. There was no consonant to separate them neatly—they were just pulled, ripped, wrenched apart."


She was alone. Usually she liked it that way; and this time was no different. She could faintly hear Sven and Train arguing in the distance…something about fuel and engines. The car had broken down (not for the first time) in the middle of a forest.

A beautiful forest, she thought.

The river that ran through it had created a miniature canyon, with vertical walls of dirt and roots and rocks on either side. She sat on one edge now, her feet dangling over the water. She felt no fear. Partly because she wasn't one to be afraid, usually, and partly because the drop was no more than a few feet.

But the river was pretty and calm, in its own way, and she watched it flow, leaning back on her hands. It was nice to get away from her partners and their bickering. She loved them both dearly; but they were men.

Nothing more needed to be said.

She hummed a small tune while she sat. A soft, swooping melody sung by someone with a wonderful voice…she had only heard it once, but she had memorized it instantly. The singer's name had been Sarah, she believed. Sarah Mc-something…

"_The night is my companion, and solitude my guide.  
Would I spend here forever, and not be satisfied?_"

A pretty name, Sarah. She had always liked it. It seemed to fit the singer's voice for some odd reason she couldn't describe. _Sarah_. A simple name, but breathy like a sigh, like a breeze. Smooth.

What of her own name? Eve. _Eve_. It wasn't smooth—but it was soft. Soft like velvet or a blanket. No harsh sounds, no breaks in the middle. Just one syllable. Just one consonant. It reminded her of the river, in a way. Flowing, but _there_. Substantial. Tangible. Not like Sarah, a name so light it could float away if you weren't careful. Eve was permanent, lingering.

She sighed as the arguing behind her got a little louder. Now she could hear Sven's exasperation, Train's amusement. All their arguments were the same. Sven would get annoyed at some folly of Train's, Train would laugh it off. It never seemed to change.

"Do they always do that?" a voice asked softly behind her, as if afraid to scare her off.

She felt a jolt somewhere in her chest. She never forgot anyone she met—just like she never forgot a book. She never forgot images, names, voices…and that voice—_that_ voice—was familiar.

Eve didn't stand, didn't turn around. She simply readied her mind for a defense, for an attack. She shifted slightly closer to the edge of the drop, to jump into the river if necessary. "Yes, they argue quite often," she replied, keeping her voice controlled. "I think Train finds it fun."

"Yeah, seems like something he would do," he said. She heard him move closer tentatively; his steps were slow, unsure. He didn't sound like someone on the attack.

She heard his footsteps stop. "Why are you here?" she asked, turning her head slightly without turning around, without looking at him. She fixed her gaze on the river instead, where it met the horizon.

"I have nowhere else to go."

"That is not true. You could go anywhere. Anywhere you wanted."

"I suppose…I suppose I could…" There was a short silence; he took a deep breath. "But this is where I wanted to be."

She stood, turning to face him, careful to keep her expression blank. And indeed, there he was, very much how she remembered him. His hair was a little messier, perhaps. A little dirtier. He had a scratch on his cheek that had left small bloodstains on his skin, stains he hadn't bothered to wash away. The rest of his face was muddy, tinged slightly brown.

There was a single clean streak directly beneath his left eye.

Eve stepped forward, gazing directly at him. "And why did you want to be here?" she asked. "What is there for you here, that isn't anywhere else?"

He looked down at his feet. His shoes were muddy and torn—it was then that she realized he didn't have his board.

"There's…there's you."

"Yes, there is me." Her gaze softened slightly, but mostly because of the lack of comprehension in them. "Leon, I still do not understand."

"I don't either, really," he whispered, still not looking at her. It gave her an uncomfortable feeling in her chest, to see him like this. But she didn't understand _that_ either. "I just…I just knew I didn't want to be alone."

Strange. "Why not?" she asked honestly. "Being alone is relaxing, refreshing. You are left to your thoughts."

"And your memories." He looked up at her now, catching her gaze. "And your guilt, your conscience. You wouldn't understand—you have the Black Cat and your other friend. Being alone is a reward for you. For me…for me, it's a punishment. It means I have to remember all the things I did, all the things that have happened to me."

His eyes were a startling blue, only emphasized by their glistening. She had never noticed the color before.

"I didn't want that," he continued. "I couldn't stand it, after a while. I thought I could be alone. I thought it would be fine, you know? I was old enough, I could handle it." He looked down again, hastily running a filthy hand over his eyes. That aching feeling in her chest intensified.

"But why here?" she asked. "Why me? I still do not understand why I am where you wanted to be."

"Because I thought you could help me," he said, glancing up with dry eyes. "You were the only one I had left to go to. I could have gone to Creed, I suppose…but I was sick of him. My family is dead to me. I had no friends before I left."

_Leon_. A broken name. There was a hitch, a pause between syllables, that tore the name in two. _Lee-on_. There was no consonant to separate them neatly—they were just torn, pulled, ripped apart without even a breath between to save them. _Leon_. It reminded her of the sky, for some reason. White. She thought of stone lions, Romans reaching towards the heavens—

The mind was a strange place.

But it could be smooth, if you just said it with care. Roll it off your tongue, let it flow, don't tear it in two. Velvety, gentle. You just have to say it right.

She had not responded, and he quickly appeared to search for something to say. "That…that song, that you were humming," he said swiftly. "I recognize it."

"I heard it on the radio one day," she explained. "I liked it."

He gave her a sheepish smile. "My grandma always liked her. Always played her music, day in and day out. I memorized some of the songs, after a while, although I didn't know what a lot of them meant."

"I had to think about the words for a while before I understood," she agreed with a nod.

"There's only one part of that song I really got," he said, looking away. "That part about the path."

"_Into this night I wander,_" she sang softly. He looked up suddenly, surprised. "_It's morning that I dread. Another day—_"

He joined her on the last line, their voices joining in harmony: "_Of walking the path I fear to tread._"

There was a soft silence after that, filled with only the rippling of the river below.

"You have a nice voice," Eve said with a tilt of her head.

He shrugged, the corners of his mouth quirking. "It's nothing special. Yours is nicer."

"Thank you, Leon."

"You're welcome."

"You've changed."

It was abrupt, she knew. But she couldn't help her surprise. And he had apparently known what was coming—he ducked his head again, not looking at her. "I learned a few lessons," he said simply. "From others. From you."

"From me?"

"Do you not remember?"

"Yes, I do…I just did not believe it would sink in at the time."

He chuckled. "You had that much faith in me?"

There was a ghost of a smile—a smile that could have been. "Is that sarcasm?"

"Yes."

The smile became more than a ghost. "Then I shall reply with some of my own. Yes, Leon, I had the utmost faith in you."

A grin came over his face. She decided she liked it—it held no hint of malice, only laughter.

All of the sudden, she strongly desired to hear his laugh. She had never heard it before—what would it sound like? Loud? Soft? Noisy, wheezy?

But she did not know how to make him laugh, and so she did not try. In her head, however, she made it a goal. A goal to remember.

Hear Leon's laugh.

She stepped closer. They were a mere two feet apart now, perhaps less. She found her eyes drawn to the cut on his cheek. Her fingers were drawn too—she reached up, gently brushing it with two fingertips. He flinched imperceptibly.

"How did this happen?"

"Long story," he replied. "I walked into a den of drug dealers by accident. Lost my board—and I'm thankful that's all I lost."

"You were wandering." It wasn't a question.

"I didn't know where to go."

She let her hand fall, and glanced back to his face to find him looking at her. There was something in that gaze…

"Then you thought of me."

"Then I thought of you."

It was a foreign feeling, this emotion. She couldn't understand it, she couldn't decipher it. But standing there, gazing into Leon's weary and desperate eyes, she found she didn't want to leave.

"Princess!"

"Eve! Where are you? We're going!"

"Svenny fixed the car!"

They heard a quiet smack. "Don't call me that."

"I'm coming," she called to them. Leon suddenly looked a little panic-stricken, eyes searching the trees for her companions.

"Maybe…maybe I should leave…"

"Why?" she asked innocently.

"Um…I don't…I mean, I can't…"

She took him by the hand, and he shut his mouth to look down at her in surprise. "You'll come with us," she said simply. "We'll take care of you. You won't be alone."

At the last statement, he squeezed her hand gently and smiled. "Um…thanks, Eve. Thanks a lot."

"Not sarcasm, correct?"

"Definitely correct!"

She smiled back at him. "I thought not. I just wanted to make sure."

"I'll have to teach you how to figure out sarcasm."

"Yes, I would like that. It is hard for me, sometimes. It is especially difficult with Sven—he says sarcasm like he says everything else."

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll show you how to tell the difference."

"Thanks, Leon. Thanks a lot."

He laughed.

She decided she liked his laugh. She liked it very much.

**AN: Lyrics are from "Possession" by Sarah McLachlan.**


End file.
